Today marks the launch of the global campaign entitled “German – Language of Ideas”. Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and the President of the Goethe-Institut, Prof. Klaus-Dieter Lehmann, will address the opening event at the Radialsystem cultural centre in Berlin. In this connection, Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle today (25 February) issued the following statement:

“German is the language at the heart of Europe, spoken by more people as a native tongue than any other European language. It is the key to more than 350 German universities and to the largest economy in Europe. Our campaign, which starts today, seeks to inspire young people to learn German.

Germany stands for technology and design, for creativity and quality, factors which make it internationally attractive. Learning German gives people access to one of the world’s best education and training systems. It opens the door to German literature, music, philosophy and science, to the wealth of major European cultural traditions and, not least, allows you to realize your own aims and ideas.”